


The Love of Death

by Theatremask22



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Death, F/M, Heaven, Hell, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Hellenistic Religion & Lore), Love, Paranormal, Romance, Underworld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18840112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theatremask22/pseuds/Theatremask22
Summary: Orphan Cassie Harper is loved by no one, except for a death deity from the underworld.After being murdered by demons from her parents past she meets Ronan, who is more than happy to take away problems left over from her deceased parents as well as her own. But his help comes with a price. She must give up her chance at peace and live with him in the underworld.





	1. Chapter 1

I ran out of time. Thats all I could think as the knife plunged into my neck and I fell to the ground. It must have severed my carotid artery, blood pouring too quickly out of my neck for anything else to have happened. In a few minutes I'll be dead. Lovely, I would die in a pool of my own blood, murdered by one of the people my deceased parents owed money to for either drugs or gambling debts. Maybe even the bloody mafia itself. 

Those were my last thoughts as I slipped into the afterlife. 

                    ◇  ◇  ◇

Shivering, I stood by a dock. It looked like one of those docks from a pirate movie. Except everything was well kept up, no rotting boards or moss anywhere in sight. There were two places for ships to dock, each surrounded by large wooden poles to tie the ships down while they were loaded or unloaded. But based on the two giant lines forming on either side of the dock the boats were most likely ferries of some type. 

In front of me was a large man, around 6'5" with well built muscles in all the right places. To say he was handsome was an understatement. He had long silver hair, strands of black fading in and out of it, a chiselled jawline and high cheekbones. Horns were protruding from his head while a pair of wicked black wings came from his back. But what really caught my attention were his glowing orange eyes, not unlike a raging wildfire. 

"Name?" He said in a sexy deep voice. Honestly could this man get any hotter? 

"Yours first." I said glaring at him. No need to let him know the effect he had on me. 

He let out a sexy chuckle that had me shivering and it wasn't from the cold. So much for not letting him know. "Ronan, now I believe it's your turn." he said with a mischievous grin on his face. 

"Cassie." I said as I took in how that grin made him even hotter. Seriously was there no fucking end to this torture? "Where am I anyway? I could've sworn I died."

His grin faded but the amusement stayed in his eyes. "You did die Cassie, very brutally might I add." He said as I winced. Yeah, I fucking knew that but thanks for telling me asshole. Of course I didn't say that to him but based on his reaction he saw it on my face. The amusement faded from his eyes and I could've sworn I saw fire replace it. This wasn't good.

Ronan grabbed the whip he had strapped around his waist. It was a nasty looking thing made of bones from several human spines. Fear coursed through me as I tensed and prepared to run. 

Noticing this he grabbed my arm in a viselike grip, preventing me from escape. "You're in the underworld sweetie." He said sweetie as venemously as possible. The amount of fury I felt emanating from him made him seem one-hundred times bigger and I cowered in fear. He reminded me of a wild beast. No, beast wasn't the right word. He reminded me of a demon from the deepest pits of hell. 

I heard someone whimper and it took me a minute to realize it was me. Why the hell was I whimpering anyway? Because some demon got pissed off and yelled at me? Oh hell no, no one speaks to me that way and gets away with it. Not even a stupid demon boy from the underworld. 

Looking at him like I was about to murder him like those people murdered me I poked his chest and said "Thanks for telling me I was murdered like I couldn't fucking tell already. My last memory is of being stabbed in the neck, feeling fire in my veins as my blood poured out of my neck because of some stupid debt my parents owed them for their own shitty habits." His eyes widened at the venom in my voice. "I don't care who you are or what rank you have down here but you do not get to talk to me like I'm some random scum on the bottom of your steel-toe boots." 

He let out another deep chuckle as I finished my rant and put his hand on my face lightly caressing it. "The last person that talked to me like that ended up as dog chow. But I like you so I'll cut you a deal..." the next words he said would change my life forever. "I'll go topside and take care of all of your little problems, such as the people who killed you, and you stay here and live with me in the underworld."


	2. Chapter 2

"I'll go topside and take care of all of your little problems, such as the people who killed you, and you stay here and live with me in the underworld." 

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. He would go to Earth just to take care of everything I've been running from since the day my parents died. It sounded way too good to be true. But the catch is the part I'm struggling with. I'll have to live down here for eternity with a man I don't know. "So you want me to live here with you for eternity to be what? A friend, girlfriend, lover, sex slave, friend with benefits...?" 

"I want you to be my wife." He said matter-of-factly. Wife? WIFE? Did he just say he wants me to be his wife. Fucking hell, we haven't even been talking for five minutes and he wants me to marry him. 

"Did you just say you want me to be your wife?" I asked making sure I heard him right.

"Yes Cassie, I want you to be my wife for eternity." He said looking at me like I just asked him the dumbest question in the world. 

The sound of a ferry horn abruptly signalled the arrival of one of the boats. "You have about five minutes to decide before that boat leaves and you'll be forced to stay with me."

It was the boat for the calmer line. The line on the other side of the dock was full of rowdy and restless people. Several of them were fighting each other while others tried to rush past the guards holding everyone in line. They were desperate to escape to the boat for the other line. My guess is they were going to hell and they knew it, so they're trying everything they can to escape their fate. 

"You're telling me that after all I've done that I'm going to heaven." I couldn't help myself, it was the funniest thing I've heard all day. Soon I was on the ground, fits of laughter overcoming me. 

When I finally calmed down enough to stand up he continued. "Yes, you'll go to heaven if you choose it over me or you'll just be reincarnated. Unlike your parents you didn't choose to be in debt or hunted like a dog. You haven't done anything that would send you to Tartarus." 

Alright so my choices are heaven/reincarnation or staying with Mr. Sex-on-legs over here. If I get reincarnated whose to say that my life won't be worse than the one I just vacated. On the other hand I know nothing about this man other than the fact that hes extremely attractive and has a temper. Now the temper I can handle, but how am I supposed to stay with him and not jump his bones every time I see him? Like seriously, think of the hottest man you know of and multiply it by one-hundred. Thats what Ronan looks like. And on top of that he offered to take care of everything that haunted me while I was still alive. Maybe that will keep what happened to me from happening to anyone else. 

"Alright fine, I'll become your wife on one condition. As you destroy my demons one by one I want you to take me with you." I said holding my breath waiting for his answer.

With a mischievous gleam in his eyes he grinned and said "Deal." 

"Good, now give me that whip. I'm tired of listening to those people bitch and moan because they hurt too many people to go meet the big guy." 

He cocked an eyebrow at me and gestured to the group of large men holding the line in place. There were at least five of them and were doing an impressive job at keeping all of those people in line. Especially considering there were about fifteen hell bound for every one of them. 

"I think my men have that covered. Now come on, let me show you around." 

It was my turn to cock an eyebrow seeing as we're in the middle of an endless desert. Well, almost endless, there is a lake that leads to heaven and hell. "Around where? There's nothing else out he-" 

Suddenly we were in a large bedroom about the size of a school library. There were minimal decorations besides a large king sized bed with dark gray sheets, a black comforter, and black and gray throw pillows against the back wall. Gold sconces with lit red candles were on either side of the door while a large gold candle lit chandelier hung from the ceiling. A door on the wall nearest to the bed stood ajar leading to the bathroom. 

There was a large dining table on the other side of the room with a candelabra in the middle. The candelabra was gold with silver accents and three lit candles. It smelled distinctly masculine in here, kind of like a campfire with a hint of redwood. Honestly I could wake up to that scent every day. 

"Welcome to my humble abode." Ronan said with a smirk while gesturing to the room. "This is where you'll be staying during your eternity here with me."

"Do you mean I'll be kept prisoner in this room like Rapunzel in that damn tower?!" 

"No, you can wander around freely when you're not working with me. This is where you'll sleep, eat, and bathe." Suddenly Ronan wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against him. He nibbled on my ear and I let out a small gasp and my cheeks started to heat up. "Maybe do a few other things." 

It was then that I noticed the masculine smell surrounding the room belonged to Ronan and I let out a small breathy moan. I could wake up to that smell every day. 

"Glad my scent pleases you darling." He said huskily in my ear. Shit did I say that out loud?

Embarrased I jumped out of his arms probably looking like a tomato by now. He chuckled and said "Too soon? Don't worry darling, I won't do anything like that without your permission." But the gleam in his eyes told me differently. 

"Whatever, lets just continue the tour." 

"As you wish Princess." He said with a smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and walked into the hallway outside of Ronan's room. 

My eyes widened when I noticed this "hallway" is a corridor. Ronan lives in a damn castle. Whats next? Is he going to reveal to me that he's Satan himself? That one wouldn't surprise me actually, hes got the looks. 

"I see you've figured out my humble abode isn't so humble at all." 

"You don't say, are you a king or something?"

He flashed me a grin and said  "Bingo sweetie, I'm King of the Underworld. Every time someone dies their souls come down here to be judged. Depending on the severity of the sins they committed while alive it'll be determined whether they'll face eternal damnation or not." Suddenly his face softened and he looked contemplative and melancholic. "Are you sure you want to stay here with me? If not I can still get you on your boat. I don't want you to feel forced to stay with me just because I made a deal with you."

In his eyes I saw a vulnerability, showing me that he's not the cruel person his job makes him out to be. My heart softened and I grabbed his hand, entwining his fingers with mine and looking into his sad, beautiful eyes. "I don't feel forced to stay here Ronan. You gave me a choice, which is more than anyone gave me while I was alive. I chose to stay here with you not only to exact justice on those who wronged me but to be with you too. We may be just getting to know each other but spending eternity with you doesn't seem like a terrible thing. I actually look forward to it." 

He drew me into a tight hug and buried his face in my hair, letting out a shuddering breath at the same time. How long has Ronan been here alone with no one to love or take care of him? Based on his reaction to what I said its been several decades, maybe even millenia. But no matter what I'll be here from now on to love him and keep him from being lonely. Even if he drives me crazy. Wild or not, even beasts need someone to love them.


End file.
